As Matthew Fort explains in his bookabout Sicily, Candy Honey, Bitter Lemons: “Sicilian cooking embraces distinction, discord … the dishes are as daring and baroque as any flamboyant constructing” – and this candy and bitter aubergine stew is a textbook instance. However in accordance with the River Cafe, there are as many recipes “as there are cooks in Sicily”… so the place to begin?
Prep 20 min, plus salting time
Cook dinner 1 hr 20 min
Serves 6
1 giant aubergine (about 500g)
1 giant courgette
Salt
1 giant purple onion
2 celery sticks
150g ripe tomatoes, diced
40g inexperienced olives
1 tbsp darkish chocolate (elective)
Vegetable or sunflower oil, to fry
3 tbsp olive oil
1½ tsp chilli flakes (elective)
40g capers
40g sultanas or raisins
1 tbsp sugar
150ml passata
100ml red-wine vinegar
40g almonds or pine nuts (elective)
Small bunch of mint (or parsley, if most popular)
1 Choose your greens
Take the greens I’ve used as a information moderately than an order. Aubergine is all the time the mainstay of a caponata, however you'll be able to change the courgette with extra aubergine, peppers or fennel if that takes your fancy – fry the latter two with the onion and celery till smooth moderately than salting with the aubergine.
2 Tasting word
For those who occur to have a glut of ripe tomatoes, you'll be able to change the passata with these whizzed right into a puree – however as we’re in Britain, I’ve performed it secure, and added some further sugar to spice up the sweetness. For those who’re not a fan of dried fruit or chocolate in savoury contexts, you'll be able to go away both out with out spoiling the dish.
3 Cube and salt the large veg
Reduce the aubergine and courgette into roughly 2cm cube. Although salting isn’t completely vital should you’re watching your consumption, it would add to the seasoning of the dish so I believe it’s worthwhile. Holding the greens separate, sprinkle them evenly with salt, then put them in a colander within the sink, attempting to maintain them in two distinct layers, and go away for not less than half-hour.
4 Peel and chop the remaining
In the meantime, peel and thinly slice the onion (you should use a yellow onion should you choose), reduce the celery into roughly 2cm cube and roughly chop the tomatoes, holding the final separate for now.
Take away the stones from the olives if vital, and reduce the flesh into quarters. Grate the chocolate.
5 Pat dry
Pat the aubergines and courgettes dry with kitchen paper, nonetheless holding them separate. Put a large, deep pan a 3rd stuffed with vegetable oil over a excessive warmth till the oil reaches 190C on a cooking thermometer, or till a breadcrumb dropped in browns instantly (or use a deep fats fryer, when you have one).
6 Fry the aubergine
Fry the aubergine after which the courgette till golden, being cautious to not overcrowd the pan – they’ll take barely totally different instances, which is why it’s helpful to maintain them separate – after which drain them on kitchen paper. Make sure you enable the oil time to come back again as much as temperature between batches or the greens will find yourself greasy.
7 Make the bottom
Pour the olive oil into a big pan for which you may have a lid and place on a medium-low warmth.
As soon as sizzling, fry the onion and celery with a pinch of salt till they start to color, then stir within the chilli flakes, if utilizing. Fry for one more minute, add the diced tomatoes, and go away to bubble away for one more two.
8 Simmer for an hour
Stir within the capers, olives, sultanas, sugar, passata, vinegar and grated chocolate and produce the pan to the boil, then add the fried aubergines and courgettes.
Flip the warmth proper down, cowl and simmer gently for an hour, checking repeatedly in the direction of the top of this time and including a splash of water if it appears to be drying out.
9 Cool and garnish
Take off the warmth and permit to chill to room temperature, then test the seasoning and regulate if vital. In the meantime, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan and choose the leaves from the mint and roughly chop them.
Serve the caponata at room temperature or heat, moderately than sizzling, with each scattered on prime.
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